Grocery stores, delicatessens and restaurants sell bulk food products which are sliced and weighed according to each customer's order or receipt. Conventionally, to determine the weight of food product requested by the customer, the operator visually estimates the weight of the food product being sliced and then transfers it to a separate scale to determine the exact weight of the cut product. This usually results in the customer receiving either too much or too little cut food product. This process requires the operator to make several trips between the slicer and the scale to determine the exact weight requested by the customer. Rarely can the operator "eyeball" the exact weight amount.
In an effort to solve the problem of interrupting the slicing operation to place already cut slices on a separate scale to verify their weight, slicers have been developed incorporating estimating scales which automatically weigh the product as it is sliced. The scale on these slicers is generally positioned so that it will catch the food product as it is cut by the slicing blade. Although these slicers diminish the number of trips the operator must make to determine the approximate weight of the cut product, the operator must still make a trip to a separate scale to weigh the product on a governmentally inspected device so that he can price the cut food product. The food product must be transferred from the food product slicer bearing an estimating scale to a scale which is "Legal for Trade," i.e. a scale which has been inspected and approved by a governmental agency which inspects weighing and measuring devices.
To be "Legal for Trade" a scale can be certified by the standards set forth in the National Conference on Weights & Measures (NCWM) Handbook 44 requirements entitled "Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices" published by the National Institute for Standards and Technology. Among other requirements, the scale must be certifiable by the appropriate governmental agency and have a readout which a customer can view.
In the past, design restrictions have prevented the scales associated with slicers from meeting the requirements necessary to be certified as "Legal for Trade." For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,731 to Kent describes a slicing machine which incorporates a weight sensor means. The weight sensor is connected to a platform which oscillates in synchronization with the food product carriage. The platform from which the weight of the sliced product is determined does not remain in a constant, fixed position as the cutting operation is taking place. This constant movement and vibration of the platform may produce inaccuracies in the weight of the cut food product when the platform is stopped to weigh the product. Although these inaccuracies may only be minor, they would fall outside the acceptable tolerances and prevent the scale from being certified as "Legal for Trade."
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,738 to Kuchler also describes a slicing machine which incorporates a scale. Because the load cell of Kuchler interfaces with a support located off-center of the weighing platform, it is also unlikely that this design could be certifiable as "Legal for Trade." It is probably not certifiable because one of the requirements for a "Legal for Trade" scale is that a food product portion placed on the scale must weigh the same on each corner of the weighing platform. Further, the slicing machine does not include a readout viewable by a customer.
Consequently, in the food product slicing field, there exists a need for an inexpensive food product slicer which incorporates a "Legal for Trade" scale.